The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of bee farming and more specifically relates to a honey collection and extraction system.
2. Description of Related Art
Today, the vast majority of beekeepers in the world use the Langstroth Hive System. The heart of this system consists of a box having removable frames with foundation, wherein each frame is spaced from one another. These frames are where the bees produce and store the honey. Honey-filled cells in the honeycomb are capped over with beeswax for storage, and in honey extraction the first step is to break or remove all of these cappings. This is typically accomplished by using a manually-operated uncapping knife. Once uncapped, the frames are then placed in a honey extractor, which spins them so that most of the honey is removed. However, the resulting honey will usually contain bits of wax and must be passed through a screen in order to filter the honey. This extraction process is messy and time consuming as there are many steps a beekeeper must follow in order to produce clean liquid honey. Further to this, the extraction process is typically performed inside a specialized room, or honey house, that can be heated to allow for faster honey flow. This again is time consuming and reduces the amount of honey that a beekeeper can produce in a day. Thus, a suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,119 to Vernon C. Culhane relates to a honey extractor. The described honey extractor includes a swing-type centrifugal extractor having a main body rotatable about a vertical axis which is pivotally attached to a plurality of platforms which, in the quiescent state, depend from their pivotal attachment to the body. A honey pan having an inner peripheral edge spaced above the pan bottom receives a capping catcher which includes a mesh body held within a solid frame. A fixed frame super is uncapped by severing the cappings from the super combs in a manner which allows the cappings to remain adhered to the combs by viscosity of honey. The fixed frame super is rested upon the capping catcher in the pan and the pan rests upon one of the extractor platforms. The extractor body is rotated and the platforms extend radially outward. Centrifugal force causes the severed cappings to slide from the combs and rest in the capping catcher where most of the honey is drained from them. The centrifugal force also causes extraction of honey from the honey combs. Various attachments are also provided for adapting the pan to use with movable frame combs to facilitate extraction of honey from these also.